Enter the Psylocke
by Wizard1
Summary: Sequal to Fair Exchange. A character from the comics is Evolved (With the Misfits)
1. Revelations

**Chapter One: Revelations**

**No characters belong to me. The X-Men and associated characters belong to Marvel. GI Joe and related characters belong to Hasbro. Althea Delgado (as she exists in this fic), Xi, ****Brittany****, Daria, and Quinn Delgado, and Claudius Delgado belong to Red Witch. Only Watson the butler is mine (as far as I know).**

**This fic takes place after 'Fair Exchange.' This was intended to be a short story, but it grew and grew. It serves as a little prelude to the next story in my mind. Don't worry- the Misfits, GI Joe, and the X-Men will show up eventually.**

            Emma Frost watched the fencing practice from a distance. Both pupils were excellent given their level of experience. It was the smaller, far more slender duellist which held most of Emma's attention, though. The girl was good- damn good. She, like her elder brothers, was a natural athlete. Much physical training had honed her into a thing of beauty, one which even Emma, who had little interest in physical abilities, could appreciate. Of course, Emma thought proudly, there was also the girl's special… conditioning, which made her a success. Finally, the object of her attention won the match. She raised her mask soon after.

            "You really have to try harder," she smiled. Even from where Emma was standing, she could hear the girl's voice clearly. Tall and deceptively slender, her straight blond hair and cool blue-green eyes rendered the girl the living image of her mother at sixteen. "Stick to football and rugby, Brian. Fencing just isn't your sport."

            The other fencer raised his mask. "One of these days, I'll make you eat those words, _Betsy," he promised. If Betsy- Elisabeth Braddock, who hated that nickname- was their mother at sixteen, then her brother Brian Braddock was the image of their father at the same age. Blonde, blue eyed, very tall, and filling out his frame with muscle, Brian would easily be a large, strapping man just like his father._

            "Oh come off it, you two," the instructor broke in. Jamie, or more formally James Braddock, was also the image of their father, but while Brian was still growing, Jamie was already a man. His hair was blond, and his blue eyes were grinning. "Face it, little brother- our sister just spit-shone your hairy arse."

            "Piss off, you prat," Brian muttered. Emma sighed- where did the Braddock children get their vulgar vocabulary from?

            "I heard that, ass," Jamie replied before tackling Brian. Soon, the brothers Braddock were engaged in yet another of their famed wrestling matches. As if oblivious to the fray, Elisabeth walked off in the direction of the showers. In Emma's direction. Emma quickly stepped out where she could be seen. Elisabeth gasped.

            "Ms Frost? What are you doing on this side of the Atlantic?" Elisabeth was surprised. She had met the members of the American Inner Circle before, of course, but she had seldom seen any of them in the Braddock estate outside of Malden, England.

            "I'm visiting you, dear," Emma smiled. She had made many trips across the pond in recent years, not that Elisabeth had ever remembered them fully.

            "Why, I'm honoured," Elisabeth said. Emma smiled- she covered up her surprise in record time. The girl had the potential to be an asset to the American Hellfire Club, but not to the White Queen- not as she was. Not without the adjustments Emma was making.

            "Of course you are," Emma smiled.

            "Oh, excuse me a moment, will you? Elisabeth asked, and before Emma could reply, the girl went off toward her brothers.

            "That's really not necessary, dear," Emma said hurriedly, but Elisabeth, separating her brothers, didn't respond. Ah, well- it wasn't as if she hadn't done this before.

            "Sorry, Ms. Frost," the young men muttered in unison, before Jamie stepped forward. "May I offer you a drink, Ms. Frost?"

            "Yes, you may, James. It is rather hot today, isn't it?" Emma began to enter their minds, slowly dominating them. It was something she could do quickly, but she had developed a taste for slowly overwhelming a mind, which she indulged as often as possible.

After the Braddock's showered and changed, Emma had high tea with them. She quickly dispatched Jamie and Brian into a psychic stupor while she got to work on Elisabeth. It was one thing to manipulate the servants of Sir James and Lady Elisabeth Braddock. It was even acceptable- barely- to manipulate their children (and in Elisabeth the Younger's case, it was necessary), but to intrude upon two members of the British Inner Circle, even if they were in the way, was unthinkable, if only because the consequences of detection were most… unpleasant, hence the need to ensure being with Elisabeth (without the elder Braddocks around) for as long as she needed to be.

Lifting a scone to her lips, Emma nibbled it while she deeply penetrated 

Elisabeth's psyche. There it was- the cocoon which Emma had formed two years ago in the back of Elisabeth's mind was still intact, and still holding. Emma's astral form smiled even as it made the cocoon ever so slightly permeable. The essence of the woman within began to bleed out, and mix with Elisabeth's subconscious. 

***

            _The woman inside the cocoon stirred. Kwannon was not back in the familiar place of her own body- she was still inside this gaijin__ child. She could feel her knowledge drain out of her, and return. Nothing too personal left, but the training secrets of the Hand were being downloaded into the child. She was already a competent ninja, and was growing even better with every opening of this prison. The child could now speak and write Japanese flawlessly, even if she didn't know any of it yet. In return, Kwannon was growing proficient in gaijin__ sport, such as fencing, and knew the' intricacies' of the English tea ritual, which were nothing to the Japanese tea ritual. But the prison was beginning to weaken- Kwannon knew that even if the other woman, the one which bound her into the child, did not. Soon, she would be able to break free, and Kwannon, the Deadly Butterfly of the Hand, would be free again._

***

The melding had to be done slowly over a long period of time in order for it to be unnoticed, but it had worked. It did help that the two women had similar personalities and the same power (except Elisabeth was far, far more powerful). This was some of Emma's finest work- expertly crafted, and expertly hidden. Only someone that knew precisely where to look would be able to find it, and only someone willing to destroy both Elisabeth and her guest would be able to destroy it- a result of the girl's unusual psychic sensitivity, which had made the earliest attempts at manipulating her so damned difficult until Emma had learned how to fully compensate for it. It was a brilliant way to dispose of a potential rival while still keeping her useful. If the body which housed the mind trapped within the cocoon was never able to be repaired, an… accident would be arranged, and very much alive Elisabeth would be given over to the Hand, and the American Inner Circle's debt would be paid, even if the rest of them would never know it. If the body could be repaired, then Emma would put the guest back where she belonged, and the Hellfire Club would still have a finely trained assassin that was completely under Emma's thumb. Elisabeth would then take her place as Black Queen, as Sebastian desired, but under Emma's control. The White Queen would brook no true rivals, not if she could help it- especially if said rivals possessed the potential to match her in power. The beauty of it was that no one would know the full truth of the arrangement except for Emma and Matsu'o Tsurabaya, a _genin of the Hand, who had much personal interest in the woman Elisabeth unknowingly kept safe._

            After many long minutes, Emma repaired the cocoon, and released the Braddock's from her control.

            "I'm sorry," Elisabeth said, blinking, "what were we talking about?"

            "You and Brian coming to my academy in Massachusetts, Elisabeth," Emma smiled. This was the goal which Shaw had set her to. She had to make the effort- not just for him, but so that she could have free reign over Elisabeth, who was exploring her telepathic powers.

            _The same as always, then, Elisabeth thought as Emma once more went into her sales pitch._

***

            The next day, after Ms. Frost had left, Elisabeth tried her hand at another pastime- berating her elder brothers.

            "I can't believe you two got into another fight! You can't just control yourselves, can you?"

            "No Betsy," they muttered sheepishly.

            "It was a damn good thing Ms Frost chose to overlook your behaviour! I expect she must believe that we are a pack of bloody ill-tempered bores!"

            "Yes Betsy."

            "Sweet Jesus! You're practically grown men! Can't I turn my back without either of you getting into a fight?"

            "Yes Betsy."

            "Apparently I can't, if this keeps happening!"

            "Yes Betsy."

            She sighed, and sat down into the couch. Yet another attempt at recruitment from Emma Frost.

            "Doesn't the woman ever quit?" she muttered. "Can't she understand that we don't have a place in America?"

            "There is a place in America for _you_, you know," Jamie said quietly, "but it's not with Frost."

            "Please don't start that again," Elisabeth moaned.

            "That Xavier- he has the same powers as you," Brian said earnestly.

            "I don't need to be taught!" Elisabeth said fiercely, and stood up.

            "Maybe not," Brian said, "but maybe he can help you with your nightmares."

            "Nightmares?" Jamie asked, worriedly, and looked into his sister's eyes. "What nightmares?"

            "They're nothing!" she told him.

            "Now you're lying," Brian said quietly. "We're linked, Elisabeth- that's what you said when you came to me about your powers. We're linked- that's why you can always feel me. That's why it took you forever to learn to block me out when you learned how to block everybody else out. Didn't it ever occur to you that even though I don't have any powers, I can feel you?"

            "What do you see, Bri?" Jamie asked him, concerned.

            "I don't know the specifics, but she's having nightmares, that it's the same nightmare every time, and that it's scaring her. And it's related to her power, somehow, but don't ask me how."

            "That's it," Jamie said as he got up, "I'm calling mother and father."

            "Jamie!" Elisabeth shouted.

            "I won't stand by and hear of you having nightmares about your powers, Betsy. I won't, and you can't stop me, not unless you try to control me with your powers, if you know how to do that."

            "Maybe I can," she said dangerously.

            "And even if you could, you won't," Brian said as he stood up. "You would never hurt us, or control us, Betsy. It's not in you. You know it, and we know it. We're only interested in your welfare. Mother and father are in New York- this 'Bayville' or whatever the hell it's called isn't that far away." He looked straight into her eyes. "They won't stop loving you if you tell them you're a mutant. We didn't, and we never will."

            Elisabeth suddenly teared up. It was stupid, really, but ever since that awful day when the BBC showed the footage of people with special powers fighting that over-large robot she'd been afraid, afraid as she hadn't been since her powers first developed, when she went to Brian, and together, they eventually went to Jamie. And there it stopped- almost. There was a quartet of American sisters that had accidentally discovered the truth- a set of triplets, and their older sister, who was a few months younger than Elisabeth. Nobody else knew- not her closest friends, and certainly no other members of their family, not even her favourite cousin, Brittany (who was the closest thing to an older sister she had and who had seen some very strange things in GI Joe), and especially not her parents. She didn't want to say the reason why she didn't want to contact this Xavier, but Brian, as always, managed to see into her heart, right to her greatest fear. Rationally, she knew that he was right, but her heart wasn't sure. Hearing Brian say what she had told herself so often made it more real. She suddenly hugged him. Jamie soon joined in, and the Braddock children stood, embracing, for many minutes.

            "What would I do without you prats?" she asked, smiling, even though her tears were falling.

            "Not nearly as well," Brian grinned.

            "Do you want to tell them?" Jamie asked her.

            "Yes- it should come from me, shouldn't it?"

***

            Brian and Jamie waited outside the library. Inside, Elisabeth was telling her parents the truth about herself.

            "I don't hear any crying," Brian said suddenly. "That's good, isn't it?"  
  


            "It's bloody soundproof, idiot. You wouldn't hear a thing unless the door was open, you know that!" Then, gently, "How is she?"

            Brian frowned. "Hard to say. She's in turmoil, that's all I can say for sure."

            Minutes later, the door opened. Elisabeth emerged, face pale.

            "What happened?" Brian asked, racing to her side.

            "They knew," she said in wonder. "They've always known. They wouldn't say how, but they've always known."

            "Bloody hell," Jamie whistled. "Why didn't they say anything?"  
  


            "They were waiting for me to come forward and tell them," she said, slowly. "They told me that they love me, that that will never change, but they're disappointed that I didn't finally tell them sooner- much sooner."

            "And?"

            "And- and-" she swallowed. "I'm leaving."

            "What?" her brothers asked her.

            "They got tired of waiting. When their business was done, they went to the Xavier Institute in Bayville. They talked with Professor Xavier, and there's a place for me there, if I want it. I said yes, father called the Institute, and it's all settled. Mother and father will be coming back tomorrow. A teacher from the Institute will be with them. I'll be leaving that same day."

            "Just like that?" Brian asked, horrified.

            "Yeah, just like that. They were going to talk to me about it when they got back, but since I called them, they decided it was best not to wait. I gather that the Professor wants me over there, especially after he learned what I can do. He wants to help me learn to use my powers."

            "You already know how to use your powers," Jamie snorted. "Is he upset that you're self-taught? I imagine he was, and he seems to have turned out okay."

            "It's not that simple," Betsy frowned. "I went through some hard times when I was learning how to shut people out, and to be honest, I still can't do it all the time. If this man can teach me better techniques, I owe it to myself to learn them."

            "You know that," Jamie chided. "You just don't want her to go so soon."

            "And you do?" his younger twin siblings asked him in unison.

            "NO! I just want what's best for Bets."

            "Can you both do me a favour?" Elisabeth asked.

            "What?"

            "Can you please just call me Elisabeth? No little pet names until I go- okay?"

            "Deal," they said solemnly.

            "Bets," Brian snorted.

            "Betsy." Jamie said solemnly.

            "Butterfly."

            "Brat."

            "Barmy."

            "Bad ass."

            "Shut up!" she shouted, and started to chase them around the manor.

            Watson, the family butler, smiled. He had just been apprised of the situation by the master, and he thought it was good to hear Braddock Manor filled with the shouts of its boisterous youngsters chasing each other. It could well be the last time for God only knew how long.

A/N:

For those that might not know, gaijin is Japanese for westerner. If I am wrong about this, please tell me via review.


	2. Confrontations

**Chapter Two: Confrontations**

**No characters belong to me. The X-Men and associated characters belong to Marvel. GI Joe and related characters belong to Hasbro. Althea Delgado (as she exists in this fic), Xi, ****Brittany****, Daria, and Quinn Delgado, and Claudius Delgado belong to Red Witch. Only Watson the butler is mine (as far as I know).**

            Elisabeth and her brothers were on hand to greet their parents when they got home.

            "I wonder where all this fog came from?" Brian asked. "It was so clear earlier."

            "Life in England, mate," Jamie told him. "Here they are!"

            The Braddock family limo emerged from the fog. Four people got out.

            "Hello, monsters! I see the manor's still standing," James Braddock boomed as he went to hug his eldest son. He usually wasn't one to stand on formality, and now was no exception.

            "James," Elisabeth Braddock (the elder) gently chided as she went to her younger children.

            "Well it is," he replied as he and his wife switched places. The Braddock's weren't nearly as reserved among themselves as other upper-class families were.

            "Jamie, Brian, and especially you, Elisabeth, I would like to introduce Professor Charles Xavier, and one of the Institute's teachers, Ms. Ororo Munroe."

            Sitting in a wheelchair was the man himself, Charles Xavier. He was much as Elisabeth had seen him on television- bald, handsome in a harsh way, with unusually penetrating eyes. Ms. Munroe was a tall, regal woman, with dark skin, white hair, and brilliant blue eyes that didn't appear to be contacts.

            "It is a pleasure to meet you, Elisabeth," the Professor said gravely as he shook her hand.

            "Likewise, sir," she replied.

            "I hope you will enjoy your time at the Institute, Elisabeth," Ms. Munroe smiled as she shook Elisabeth's hand.

            "I hope so too, ma'am," Elisabeth nodded.

            "Well, shall we go inside?" Elisabeth (the elder) asked. "It wouldn't do to bid a proper goodbye standing outside like this."

            "So you are telepathic, Elisabeth," the Professor said as they entered the manor. "I imagine it must have been very difficult to learn to block out the thoughts of the people around you. I remember how difficult it was for me."

            "Yes, sir," Elisabeth (the younger) admitted, "but I've mostly got the hang of it."

            "Mostly?"

            "I'm not always successful," she replied, cheeks flushing a bit.

            "I see. Well, that's what I'm here for."

            "That's why I'm coming with you," Elisabeth replied. Something in the man's tone… well, she couldn't blame him if he was especially confident. Still, it did bother her, a bit.

            "Is that all you can do, Elisabeth?" Ms. Munroe asked.

            "No. I can, well not all the time, but sometimes- I don't have any control over it, but sometimes I can see into the future."

            "Ah- precognition," the Professor nodded. "A useful gift, even if you can't control it. I hope I can help you with that, too."

            The confidence in his tone was definitely irritating, although she didn't know why. She knew that not all mutant abilities could be controlled- maybe her ability to see into the future was one of them. She realized that the man would be doomed to failure if he admitted defeat before even trying, but still…

            As they reached the drawing room, James gave a small sigh of pleasure.

            "Ah, tea time," he smiled. "Something one misses, abroad."

            "Quite," Elisabeth the elder nodded as she waved her guests in. Within moments, high tea was served. The Braddocks may have set little store in formalities, but high store in traditions.

            "So, how was Heathrow?" Brian asked his parents. "You must have flown all the way here from London to get here so quickly."

            James broke out in a grin. Elisabeth I frowned.

            "You might say that, son," James grinned, "except we didn't stop in London. Or anywhere, for that matter. We flew straight here from Bayville."

            "What?" Now this was interesting.

            "How?" Jamie asked.

            "The X-Men have a jet. An absolute beauty, and as fast as she is beautiful. Flew straight here- we're parked a ways away on the grounds, where we're not easily seen."

            "You mean you didn't go through customs?" Elisabeth asked. "Is that legal?"

            "Probably not," Elisabeth I sighed.

            "Tut, tut, no one's going to know," James smirked.

            "What about our passports?"

            "Easily fixed, dear. I didn't cancel our flight for tomorrow, and I didn't check us out of the hotel. So we'll accompany our daughter back, give her a proper good-bye in America, and fly back here, with no one being the wiser."

            "You just want another flight in that jet."

            "And can you blame me?"

            The Braddock children shared a look. Elisabeth and her father shared a love of flying- Elisabeth had her pilot's license even before she got her drivers license. Their father's excuse was just an excuse, and they all knew it.

            They ate for a time, making small conversation, until Watson interrupted them.

            "We have a guest, sir."

            "Who is it?" James asked.

            "Ms. Frost, sir," he said, neutrally. No one in the Braddock household cared for her.

            "Send her to join us," Elisabeth I sighed. "Might as well be polite to that sow," she muttered audibly.

            "Yes, madam," he nodded.

            "You don't like this woman?" Xavier asked, quietly.

            "She's a member of our social circle," James said, quickly and just as quietly.

            "Ms. Frost, sir," Watson announced, and stepped aside. Emma Frost entered the room.

            "YOU!" Ms. Munroe and Ms. Frost screamed at each other. Ms. Munroe sprang to her feet.

            "I take it you've met," Elisabeth I said, looking at the women nervously.

            "She is _mine, old man," Ms. Frost snarled, ignoring her hostess. Her beauty was destroyed by her rage. "You will not have her!"_

            "That is not your decision," the Professor replied, coldly. He faced the elder Braddocks. "This woman is very dangerous. She's a telepath, and a powerful one. She has ties to a number of terrorist organizations, including COBRA and Magneto's Acolytes."

            "I know _I'm not surprised," Elisabeth I muttered audibly._

            "Are you just going to take this man for his word?" Emma shouted. "Haven't you heard anything about him?"  
  


            "Yes, we have," James said, evenly, remaining seated. "That's one reason why I believe him. But to be honest, Emma, your laying claim to my daughter gives him further credibility."

            "So you intend to send her off with him, then?"

            "Perhaps." He turned to his daughter. "Elisabeth- you decide. It is your life, dear. Do you want to go with the Professor, or with Ms. Frost?"

            "If it's all the same with you, I'd rather go with Professor Xavier," Elisabeth said quickly. Arrogant or not, she trusted her people-sense, which told her that Charles Xavier and Ms. Munroe were truly good people, and that Emma Frost was most certainly not.

            "WHAT?" Emma screeched. "Elisabeth, this is nonsense! This… school you would attend is full of the lowest sort of riff-raff you can imagine!"

            "Sounds like my sort of place," Jamie said to nobody in particular.

            "You won't even be taught there, you know," Ms. Frost continued. "You will be subjected to the American public school system, and once the good people of Bayville know where you are staying, you will be labelled as a freak. People who are beneath you will make you a pariah."

            "Perhaps, but you can't help me like the Professor can, can you, Ms. Frost?" Elisabeth asked evenly.

            _Can't I? Ms. Frost's voice rang through her mind._

            _So, you are telepathic Elisabeth responded, the same way she reached out to Brian. Emma smiled broadly._

            _Yes! You are exceptionally clear, and without training yet. Come with me, my dear. You will be with those who are your peers in power, wealth, and breeding._

_            No thanks- I'd rather not._

_            It is her choice, Emma _the voice of Charles Xavier thundered through her mind. And echoed, and echoed, gaining in volume and intensity each time. Elisabeth began to scream, and fell out of her chair.

***

            _Inside the cocoon, Kwannon exulted. The man, whoever he was, had greatly weakened her prison! It was still well made, so Kwannon was still a prisoner, but it was open at least twice as wide as it had ever been. Kwannon knew she had to be careful- any sudden intrusions in the girl's mind would be easily detected. No matter- she was a ninja. She knew how to be subtle, and patient as well. And being telepathic herself, she was able to cloak her presence in ways even ordinary ninjas- if that wasn't a contradiction itself- could not._

***

            "Elisabeth!" a number of people shouted as they went to the collapsed young woman.

            "What did you do?" the Professor demanded.

            "I didn't do anything," Emma smirked. "You did. You see, Elisabeth here is unusually sensitive for a telepath of her potential. Handling telepathic contact is difficult for her."

            "And how would you know that?" Elisabeth I asked, voice dangerously quiet. When Emma hesitated, she snarled "You've been in my daughter's mind, haven't you? You-" her husband grabbed her.

            "Don't," he whispered, warningly. He turned to Emma. "I didn't hear an answer to my wife's question."

            Emma sneered. "I believe you know the answer, James."

            "So I do." His eyes grew steely. "Far be it from me to be rude to a lady, but-"

            "Don't be polite to her, father," Brian snarled. He turned to Emma. "Get out of my house, you- you hideous sow!"

            Emma's eyes widened as if she had been slapped.

            "Why you human trash," she hissed, stepping toward Brian. Ms. Munroe quickly stepped between them.

            "I believe you heard him," she told her enemy evenly. "I also believe you know where the door is."

            Elisabeth I went to stand beside her guest. "Correction, Ororo- she definitely knows where the door is. And I invite her to use it- right bloody now!"

            "Elisabeth, Brian, you cross a dangerous line," Emma said, very quietly.

            "No more so than you do," James Braddock said, stepping out in front. He looked at Charles ministering to his daughter. "My daughter collapses, and you do nothing to help. You claim to know the cause, but never once made a warning. You threaten my family. I was already tempted to believe the accusations made against you, Emma, but now I do. You are no longer welcome in my home."

            Emma opened her mouth.

            "I'm willing to let everything here stay here, Emma," James continued before she could speak, "but only if you leave right now, and never return. This will not cause an uproar in either Inner Circle, not unless you start it. But if you do, the whole truth will be made known- I promise you that."

            Emma closed her mouth. Her normally pale complexion reddened with anger.

            "This is not over," she spat. Her eyes focused on the groggy Elisabeth. "You have made a very poor choice, child. And you will come to recognize it in the days ahead."

            "Your coat, madam," Watson said, holding her coat out for her. She grabbed it out of his hands, and stalked away, but not before she saw the smile in his eyes and noticed the amusement and glee in his thoughts. Whirling around, she sent a telepathic bolt at him, which was countered- but not by Xavier!

            Elisabeth was standing up. A corona of visible psychic energy surrounded her head. It looked like a purple butterfly.

            "Get. Out. Now," the young woman said, eyes blazing. Xavier locked angry eyes with Emma, and took Elisabeth's hand, symbolically joining their power. Emma's bolt was nowhere near full force, so Elisabeth stopping it was no major feat. She did not want to go head to head with Xavier, though- they were near equals in power, and he vastly outstripped her in experience.

            Emma turned on her heel, and stalked out of Braddock Manor. Shaw was _not going to be happy about this!_

            "Are you alright, Betsy?" Jamie asked concerned.

            "Just peachy, love, and-" she smacked him, "I thought I asked you not to call me that."

***

            Within the space of a brief two hours, Elisabeth had gathered her things, and was carrying them to the 'X-Jet.'

            "It's not far," James said as the driver drove them to a secluded area on the Braddock Estate.

            "And you say that patch of fog was you, Ms. Munroe?" Jamie asked her.

            "Yes, Jamie," she smiled. "I can control the weather. That's why my codename is Storm. The fog was necessary to cover our arrival."

            "Does everybody have a codename?" Elisabeth asked.

            "Almost," the Professor replied.

            "Have you chosen one for me yet?"

            "Not yet. I wanted to get more of a feel for your personality and powers first. Sometimes, a name becomes obvious. Not so with you, I'm afraid. Tell me- when you're blocking people out, how do you do it?"

            Elisabeth thought for a moment, trying to find the exact words.

            "It's like I surround myself with… lots of doors. As many doors as there are people nearby. Each door has a lock. When I want to read a mind, I open that particular lock, and allow the mind to come in."

            The Professor nodded.

            "I see. Then how about… Psylocke? Short for 'psychic lock.'"

            "That sounds nice," James agreed.

            "Does sort of have a ring to it," Jamie said.

            "Perhaps," Elisabeth I said slowly.

            Brian noted his sister's discomfort.

            "Psylocke sounds perfect!" he said, mock-innocently. She glared at him… innocently.

            "Very well," Elisabeth said neutrally. Psylocke… Psylocke… it did sort of have a ring to it at that.

            "Psylocke it is, then," the Professor smiled. He caught the unspoken exchange between the Braddock twins. They were deeply linked- Charles had seldom encountered a pair so deeply linked without both twins being telepathic or empathic. And yet Brian's X-gene was inactive.

            "This bears studying," he decided. "From a distance."

            They had soon arrived at the X-Jet. The younger Braddocks stared in awe. It was magnificent!

            "Beautiful," Elisabeth whispered, dreamily. Jamie didn't need to be connected to his sister to know she was already day-dreaming of flying it.

            "Yes," Ororo smiled, coming over, "it is. And you know, we do teach our students to fly it. If you like, I can pencil in a session in the simulator for you tomorrow. It's only a formality- I know you have a pilot's license. As soon as you master the controls, I believe we can let you fly it."

            The delighted squeal could be heard for miles.

            "I believe that means thank you very much," Brian told the amused Storm.

            Soon, the X-Jet was open, and it was time to say goodbye.

            "Take care of yourself," Jamie whispered as he hugged his sister goodbye.

            "You too," she whispered back. "I love you, Jamie."

            "I love you too, sis," he whispered as he broke the hug. 

Elisabeth went over to Brian. They simply embraced. Their connection made spoken words meaningless. Still…

"I love you," Elisabeth whispered.

"I love you too," Brian said back.

She broke the embrace, and joined her parents and new teachers on the X-Jet. Within moments, the clearing filled with fog, and they could hear (and feel) the jet take off. Finally, the fog cleared somewhat, and the jet was barely a speck in the sky.

"Go on," Brian said slowly. "I'll walk."

Jamie looked and the driver, and nodded. The driver understood. He knew how close the Braddock children were. He got in the car, and drove back to the manor.

Jamie and Brian shared a look. They didn't have a psychic link like Elizabeth had with Brian, but they were still very close. They walked through the fog to the home that had just gotten a little emptier in silence. Even though they were silent, much was still said.


	3. Demonstrations

**Chapter Three: Demonstrations**

**No characters belong to me. The X-Men and associated characters belong to Marvel. GI Joe and related characters belong to Hasbro. Althea Delgado (as she exists in this fic), Xi, ****Brittany****, Daria, and Quinn Delgado, and Claudius Delgado belong to Red Witch. Only Watson the butler is mine (as far as I know).**

            "Would you like me to try to enter your mind, Elisabeth?" the Professor asked suddenly as the X-Jet passed over the British coast.

            "If you think it best, sir," she said, nervously. She couldn't believe that bitch Emma Frost had entered her mind without knowing it!

            The Professor closed his eyes, and Elisabeth could feel a very small, almost delicate push in the back of her head.

            "How do you feel?" he asked.

            "You're in my mind," she told him. "I can feel you, but you're not doing anything."

            "Do you mind if a take a look around?" he asked. "I'd like to see what Ms. Frost may have done to you."

            "Please do." Elisabeth frowned slightly. She very much wanted an answer to that herself!

            Taking much care not to harm Elisabeth's mind, Charles Xavier began to probe her.

***

            _Inside the cocoon, Kwannon could feel the bald gaijin_ probing. She fully withdrew into her prison, and waited the probe out. She couldn't afford detection- not yet.__

***

            When he was done, Xavier took care to remove himself gently. He was beginning to get the hang of his newest student's mind. It was incredibly sensitive, which was odd for a telepath. But not completely unheard of…

            "I can't find anything wrong with you, Psylocke," he told her. "It seems all that she did to you was read your mind."

            "That's strange- I don't remember ever having an attack like that- well, ever."

            "I don't think that you would. 'Passive' telepathy, like simply reading your thoughts, wouldn't affect you. Actively entering it, however… I should have been more careful. I have encountered a mind like yours once before." His tone turned slightly grim.

            "You mean- telepathic and sensitive at the same time?"

            "Yes." The Professor's tone indicated that he was done with the subject.

            "I see." Elisabeth was silent for a moment. "So- what can you tell me about this school of yours?"

            "Yes," Elizabeth I joined in, "we got a look at it and your students yesterday, but I would like to know about it, too."

            "And please be honest," James added. "No offence, sir, but I got the impression that the students we met were… what one might call 'trophy students.' Do you remember their names, dear?"

            "Scott Summers and Jean Grey, dear."

            "Right-o. Scott Summers and Jean Grey."

            "Well," the Professor smiled, clearly happy for the change in subject, "I suppose that not all of our students are as well behaved as Scott and Jean."

            A noise that sounded suspiciously like "You can say _that_ again," came from the cockpit.

            "Be that as it may, Elisabeth should get along very well with the others. She is clearly willing and able to handle some of the pranks that might get sent her way."

            This time, the noise sounded almost like "Like firecrackers and iced bedsheets."

            "What about training, Professor?" Elisabeth asked.

            "As for training, we will be teaching you how to use your powers- but you've got a bit of a head start on us there. We will also be teaching you how to defend yourself physically. Your parents tell me you're a fencer and have taken self-defence lessons?"

            "Yes, sir. I've got some karate, and my fencing coaches keep begging me to consider going out for the next Olympics. It's not really fair, though- I mean, I've got a bit of an advantage- well, to be perfectly honest, I don't want to risk being the first mutant to have whatever rank I get taken away."

            "Perfectly understandable."

            "What can you tell me about my schooling, sir?"

            "Ah, yes. Bayville High is actually a prestigious school, for a public school, and your teachers are some of the finest on the eastern seaboard." An ahem-noise from the cockpit prompted him to add "Well, most of them are."

            "And what about any danger my daughter might face, headmaster?" Elisabeth I asked, a little worried.

            "Now I won't lie to you. My X-Men have been in a number of dangerous, and even life-threatening, situations. Of course, we do what we can to keep the students out of harm's way, of course, but that's not always possible. The students of Bayville High, and the people of Bayville in general, pose no threat to her."

            "I see," James said, grimly. "Well, if it's those damned robots you're hinting at, well-" he looked at his wife, "safety in numbers, and all that."

            "Precisely," Xavier agreed. "And as it stands, we do have… allies that we can call on when we need them."

            "Unreliable allies?"

            "No, not really," Xavier sighed. "They always pull through in the clutch- they're just… just…"

            "Insane?" Ororo said, audibly.

            "I'm afraid so." The Professor sighed, looking pained.

            "Who are they?" Elisabeth I asked.

            "The ones that Elisabeth will be working with most closely are called the Misfits. They're formed of teenage mutants, just like the students at the Institute are. I must warn you- half of them have long histories with my original students. To be honest, Elisabeth, because you are my first new student in a while, and have no history with either group, I hope you can help to be another bridge between the groups."

            "Another bridge, sir?"

            "One of my students has a special relationship with one of the Misfits. You'll find all about that soon enough. One of my students was with the mutants I spoke of, long before they became the Misfits. She's still friends with some of them. My newer students don't have the same degree of ill-will towards the Misfits that my original students do. Also, my youngest student is on good terms with the Misfits- well, all but three. And, one of my students has recently struck up a friendship with one of the Misfits. In spite of all this, the teams still get along like oil and water."

            "I see. Well, I'll do my best, sir. Is there anything else about them I should know?"

            "Just one thing. The Misfits are sponsored by GI Joe, and-"

            "GI Joe?" Elisabeth asked, surprised and delighted.

            "Well, Professor, you're in luck with the bridge thing here!" James said happily.

            "You see, my niece and my nephew-in-law are members of GI Joe," Elisabeth I explained. "Their names are Brittany and Edwin Van Mark-Steen. I believe their codenames are Bree and Lifeline."

            "Ah, yes. The nurse and the medic. We've met. We don't see them much, but we've met. They're two of the relatively saner Joes- no offence intended, of course."

            "None taken," James laughed. "We've met the Joes a few times. We know what they're like, bless them. Once, they saved our lives from COBRA. Another time was at Brittany's and Edwin's wedding. The Joes are barking mad, the lot of them. They throw bloody marvellous parties, though. I don't quite remember Edwin's bachelor party, but I do remember enjoying it immensely- but that has no relevancy to the here and now," he finished quickly, as his wife looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

            "Quite," Elisabeth I agreed, dryly. "The point is, Brittany is also my god-daughter, and she and my children are quite close. If you want Elisabeth to try to forge a bridge between them, you have an asset."

            "So which Joes do you see on a regular basis, sir?" Elisabeth asked.

            "Just the Misfits' adult handlers- Roadblock, Cover Girl, Low Light, Spirit, the Blind Master, and of course, Shipwreck, whose daughters are Misfits."

            "Oh, _him," Elisabeth I said with distaste. "I remember him."_

            "She means Shipwreck," James explained, frowning himself.

            "Shipwreck got right pissed at the reception," Elisabeth explained.

            "ELISABETH!" Elisabeth I shouted.

            "Well he did," James pointed out. "Anyway, I heard that this was shortly after his wife left him, so we can hardly fault him for that. However, he kept throwing himself at my wife, who he hadn't met until the reception."

            "I know what Shipwreck's like," Ororo audibly groaned from the cockpit.

            "You too, hmm?" Elisabeth I asked, sympathetically. "Anyway, it took me the better part of the evening to convince him that I was _not_, in fact, single, and that I was- and still am- very happily married, and a mother of three."

            "His daughters helped with that," James remembered. "You say they're mutants, too? Well- it really is a small world, I suppose."

            "Quite," Elisabeth agreed. Althea Delgado and her triplet sisters… oh, she remembered them, all right… Althea was one of the very few people who she didn't have to actively lock out of her mind. Elisabeth walked in on Althea entertaining her bored sisters with some water tricks prior to the wedding. Of course, she was obligated to display her own powers, and learned what she really was from the girls. Althea, while a stranger, respected Elisabeth's right to secrecy, and she made her sisters respect it, too. Elisabeth was still grateful for that. If what the Professor said was at all accurate, then the various teams involved had some rather bad blood between them. Pity- Elisabeth would be obligated to come her comrades' defense if it came to a fight, but bloody hell- surely they all had greater enemies than each other to worry about!

            "Storm," the Professor said, noting Elisabeth's pensive look, "perhaps now might be a good time to let Elisabeth learn about the X-Jet."

            "Yes, of course," Ororo replied. Elisabeth went to the cockpit, and spent the rest of the trip observing the X-Jet's controls.

            "Now," the Professor asked the Braddocks quietly, "what can you tell me about Emma Frost?"

***

            Logan looked at the X-Jet land with some surprise. It wasn't one of Ororo's trademark perfectly smooth landings. Time for a diagnostic again.

            The doors opened, and the Professor came out, followed by the Braddocks, Ororo, and a tall kid that had to be Elisabeth. She was tall- taller than the other girls at the Institute (and some of the guys). She looked like a younger version of her mother, but her movements… Logan frowned internally. It was nuts, but she didn't quite move like anyone he'd ever seen before. It was just a few very subtle things that only he would notice, but she seemed… off. She almost moved like… but no, that was impossible. She's a western girl, and if _they_ really had their hands in her, she wouldn't be here without a major fight.

***

_            Inside her prison, Kwannon reacted in horror at the sight of the new man. She knew him- oh yes, she knew him- every member of the Hand knew him! He wasn't wearing his eye patch, but there was no mistaking that hair, or that posture. For many years, this one had been living with the greatest price the Hand had ever put on anyone's head, and he still lived! This _gaijin_, this Patch- or whatever his name was- was here, and he could ruin everything!_

***

            "Charles," Logan said gruffly and by way of greeting, "everything okay with the X-Jet?"

            "Of course, Logan," the Professor replied pleasantly. "We merely decided to let Elisabeth pilot it for awhile."

            Logan didn't react openly. He let a kid handle the X-Jet? Okay, this kid had her pilot's license, so it wasn't exactly like letting Iceman handle the controls, but still… still, he hated to admit it, but she handled the jet pretty damn well for a kid.

            "Psylocke," Xavier introduced, "this is Logan, or as we call him, Wolverine. Logan, this is Elisabeth Braddock. Her codename is Psylocke."

            "Pleased to meet you, sir," Psylocke said as she freed a hand and held it out.

            "Likewise," Logan grunted as he shook her hand. Firm handshake… good sign…

            "Well, now we'll take you to your room, Elisabeth," the Professor said. "Oh, and if you're up to it, I think Logan would like to gauge your fighting skill, so that we know what we need to work on with you."

            "Of course, sir," Elisabeth nodded.

            "Well, now that you're here safely, I think we'll be going," James said. "Don't worry- we'll be back tomorrow to see you off properly."

            "Won't you stay for dinner?" Ororo asked. "After you hosted us, it's the least we could do."

            "That sounds lovely," Elisabeth I smiled. "But hopefully, this meal won't be disturbed by a mutant bent on world domination."

            What the hell?  
  
            "Charles…"

            "I'll explain later, Logan." The group headed up to main floor.

            "ME!" a voice came as they got to the main floor.

            "NO, ME!" another voice shouted. There was a great commotion accompanying the voices. In the lobby, two teenaged boys were wrestling while a third looked on.

            "Ray! Roberto!" Ororo snapped. "Stop this!" They did.

            "What's goin' on?" Logan growled. The two boys rose to their feet. The shorter one had longish black hair. The taller one had short blond hair, with three odd looking orange spikes made of hair sticking up. They started talking at once.

            "Bobby," Xavier asked the third, brown haired boy, "what is happening?"

            "They're arguing about who gets to go driving first," Bobby said.

            "I see," the Professor shot them a look saying 'We'll discuss this later.' The boys got the hint, and went off, looking embarrassed. Bobby followed.

            "I'm terribly sorry about this," Ororo said apologetically.

            "Oh, it's alright," James grinned. "My boys get into wrestling matches all the time."

            "It was like coming home," Elisabeth said, smiling. This place didn't seem so bad, so far.

            "If there is no objection," the Professor said, "Logan, why don't you show Elisabeth to her room?"

            'That's strange,' Logan thought. 'He always does it himself.'

            "Fine by me," he replied. Elisabeth shrugged, and Logan escorted her upstairs.

            "I understand you're the physical trainer here, sir," Elisabeth said, making conversation.

            "Never heard it like that before, but yeah. I'm also the survival trainer."

            "I see. I imagine you're strict?"

            He looked at her. His smile was… disturbing.

            "That's one way to put it," he said, almost pleasantly.

            A purple blur shot by Elisabeth's head.

            "What was that?"

            "Lockheed!" a young boy called, running down the hall. "Lockheed come back here!"

            "Hold it, quarter-pint," Logan said, putting a hand out to stop the boy… who suddenly split into four boys! "What's gotten into half-pint's dragon?"

            "Did you say dragon?" Elisabeth asked.

            "Lockheed got into my Pixie Sticks again, Mr. Logan," one of them panted.

            "Dragon?!?"

            "It's not my fault!" two of them exclaimed.

            "_Dragon?!?"_

            "I hid them just like you showed me! He must have found them. Look out! He's coming back!"

            Logan grabbed Elisabeth and shoved her to the floor as he and the boys hit the deck. Logan covered her and as many of the boys as he could.

            Looking up, Elisabeth saw the blur again… and it was breathing fire!

            "Great," Logan groaned. He let Elisabeth get up. As she did so, she noted that where there were four identical boys, there were now eight.

            "I gotta go get the fire extinguisher," he muttered. "You know where the new girl's room is, kid- you take her there!" He stormed off.

            "Is he always like that?" she asked the boys.

            "Yup," they replied in perfect unison.

            "Hi! I'm Jamie!" one of them said.

            "Jamie Madrox!" another piped up.

            "They call me Multiple!" yet another one said.

            "Because I make clones!"

            "What's your name?"

            "Do you have a codename yet?"

            "How old are you?"

            "Where are you from?"

            "Uh, let's see," Elisabeth began. "I'm Elisabeth Braddock, my codename is 'Psylocke,' I'm sixteen, and I'm from Malden, England."

            "Hi!" the eight… no, wait, there were six of them now! Four, two… and back to one.

            "Oh, don't worry," he said. "I can absorb them back into me. Do you wanna go to your room now?"

            "Ah, yes, please. Was that a dragon?"

            "Yup. That's Lockheed."

            "Well, I once read a journal stating that dragons existed, but I thought it was just a crank!"

            "Oh, no- there are dragons. Lockheed's Kitty's dragon."

            "Kitty's dragon?"

            "Jamie!" a voice came from behind them. Turning around, Elisabeth saw the torso of a young woman sticking out of the wall.

            "Have you found Lockheed?" she asked, worried.

            "Yeah. He went thataway."

            "Thanks!"

            "Kitty! Mr. Logan saw him too!"

            "Oh, no! I am like, so dead!" The girl noticed Elisabeth. "You must, like, be the new girl. Hi- I'm Kitty. I'd talk more, but I gotta go find my baby dragon before Mr. Logan does!" The girl went back into the wall.

            "So that's Kitty," Elisabeth said, faintly.

            "Yuh-huh. They call her Shadowcat. She can phase herself through stuff."

            "And she has a baby dragon."

            "Uh-huh. Mr. Logan really hates it when Lockheed gets into my Pixie Sticks. It makes him hyper, and when that happens..." he gestured to the burning objects.

            "Right."

            "It could be worse, though- Mr. Logan could have found out that Lockheed got into the secret stash of booze he thinks no one else knows about."

            A sudden, bloodcurdling yell shook the mansion.

            "Don't tell me," Elisabeth said when it finally died down. "Let me guess- he just found out, right?"

            "Probably," Jamie winced.

            "As if on bloody cue," Elisabeth muttered. What kind of a madhouse had she chosen to live in?

            "Well," she said after a moment, "my room is which way?"

            "Oh, this way!" her guide said. He led the way.

            He led her down a hallway full of doors. Finally, he stopped.

            "Here we are," he said, opening it for her.

            "Thank you, Jamie," Elisabeth smiled as she entered. She quickly exited it again. "Tell me, Jamie, do the lovers come with the room, or are they just borrowing it?"

            "Huh?" Jamie looked in the room. "SAM! TABBY! You're supposed to be looking for Lockheed!"

            The two on the bed looked at the two standing outside. The boy was tall and skinny with shoulder-length blond hair. The girl had blond hair, and entirely too much makeup.

            "We were, uh, we were…" the boy, Sam, tried to stammer.

            "We were lookin' in here," the girl, Tabby, said for him. "He wasn't in here, so we decided to take a break."

            "A smoochie break," Jamie grumbled. "Mr. Logan saw Lockheed."

            "I thought I heard a scream," Tabby smirked.

            "Well, as glad as I am that the dragon is not in my room," Elisabeth said sweetly, "perhaps you could… search… elsewhere?"

            "Oh! You must be Elisabeth. Ah'm Sam Guthrie. They call me Cannonball. Mah girlfriend here's Tabitha Smith, codenamed Boom-Boom."

            "Charmed," Tabitha said, in a tone that said she was anything but. 'She's upset that I interrupted her snog time,' Elisabeth thought, 'but it's not my fault they chose my room.'

            "Well, uh," Sam said, clearly embarrassed, "maybe we'd best get back to the search. Maybe we can find Lockheed before Logan does."

            "Great," Tabby grumbled unenthusiastically. They filed past Jamie and Elisabeth, and Tabby gave Elisabeth a slight glare, which turned into a nasty smile. She then locked her arm through Sam's, and sped up her pace.

            "Uh oh," Jamie said, noting the look. "That's not-"

            Elisabeth's trunk exploded open. Its contents flew through the hall.

            "Good," Jamie finished.

            "What was that?"

            "Tabby," Jamie groaned. "She can create time-bombs. She put a firecracker on your luggage."

            The two managed to get her belongings back in the trunk quickly. Elisabeth managed to carry the trunk into her room without spilling anything.

            "I think I'll save unpacking for later," Elisabeth said.

            "Okay," Jamie shrugged. They went back for the lobby.

            Suddenly, out of nowhere, the air in front of Elisabeth exploded into black, vile smelling smoke. Standing in the centre was a blue demon with three fingers on each hand, two toes on each foot, and a pointed tail. He was wearing a red and black suit.

            "Hello!" he said, grinning. "My name's Kurt. Kurt Vagner. My friends call me Nightcrawler, or ze Fuzzy Elf. And you, fraulein?"

            "I'm Elisabeth Braddock," she said, faintly. Life seemed hell-bent on shocking her today.

            "Velcome to the Xavier Institute, Liz!" he said, and grabbed her arm. Elisabeth's world exploded in black smoke, and when it cleared, she was standing in the lobby. Jamie was walking down the stairs.

            "I can teleport," Kurt said by way of explanation.

            "I see." Good lord, she'd said that a lot today!

            "Vell, I'll let you get on your way, Liz. See you at dinner!" He teleported away again.

            "Please don't call me Liz," she said, even though she knew he couldn't hear her.

            "There you are," Logan's voice grated behind her. She turned. He was carrying what looked like a clothes box, and was heavily scratched. "It's time to see how good you are. And quarter-pint," he called up to Jamie, "no more Pixie Sticks until I say so!"

            Jamie opened his mouth to protest, but when he saw Logan, he (wisely) didn't.

            "Yes, Mr. Logan," he grumbled.

            "Good." He turned back to Elisabeth. "This way."

            He led her back to her room. He handed her the box.

            "Get changed, Psylocke," he said as left the room. Elisabeth opened the box. Inside was a black uniform, with a gold belt and shoulderpads with a black X on a red field. She quickly put it on, and took a moment to look at herself in it. She looked good, she nodded with approval, and exited the room.

"This way," Logan grunted, and led her to the end of the hall… which opened up into an elevator! They entered the elevator.

            "The Danger Room's down here. It's where you'll do most of your training. Until you start your survival training."

            "And then I'm all yours, right?"

            "Something like that." That disturbing grin, again…

            The elevator opened. Going down a metal corridor, they entered an empty room.

            "It doesn't look like much now, but we're only going to test your fighting ability."

            "It gets better?"

            "Yeah." That grin again... "Now hit me."

            "Sir?"

            "Hit me. Any way you can."

            Elisabeth obliged… and was quickly on her back.

            "That's it?" he asked.

            She got up again, and looked him in the eye. He was _good_. She tried again with another manoeuvre… and wound up on her back again.

            After a few more repetitions, each with a different move but always the same result, he said, "Seems we got a lot to work on."

            "Maybe we do," Elisabeth agreed.

***

            _Kwannon was angry. The child may be well trained for a gaijin_ of her age, but she was no match for this one. Nowhere near.__

_            "Come on, girl!" Kwannon screamed. "You have my knowledge- use it!" This girl had the training of a ninja of the Hand. Kwannon could not permit such an ignominious defeat for any disciple of the Hand, not if she could prevent it!_

_            Reaching out with her mind, she forced as much of her essence out of the prison as she could._

***

            "Maybe we do," Psylocke said slowly. The girl had some training, and had naturally good reflexes and strength. She had as much potential as any of the other students, and more than most. Logan nodded, and then noticed something. Her expression changed- her eyes narrowed, and a wicked smile crossed her face.

            "Or maybe…" she struck him, and it connected. Logan went flying. He got up right after he landed, and he scowled. It was a modification of a relatively simple kick, but Logan had only ever seen one school routinely use it.

            Elisabeth exulted. She didn't know she could do that! And yet, she did it. Not only that, but she could feel something happening. She noted all the weak points in Logan's defences. She didn't know how she knew them, but it didn't matter. She felt invigorated, as if she had been confined for ages only to be suddenly released now.

            Logan extended his hand, and beckoned for her to attack again. Elisabeth grinned. For some reason, she wanted nothing more than to oblige him, so she did.

***

            The X-Men, and their guests, sat down to dinner.

            "Are your Mr. Logan and my daughter going to be done soon, headmaster?" Elisabeth I asked. "We really should be going after this."

            "I can't imagine what's taking them so… long…" the Professor stopped as the sound of sword fighting slowly became audible. The Professor wheeled out of the dining room, followed by Ororo, Hank, and everybody else.

            Elisabeth and Logan were fencing in the lobby. With real swords and no masks or other protective gear.

            The students gaped. So did the adults. Finally, after a few seconds of watching, Logan disarmed Elisabeth. They bowed to each other.

            "Logan?," Xavier demanded, "what is the meaning of this?"

            "I'm evaluating her, Charles," Logan replied evenly.

            "In the lobby?"

            Logan gestured to the wall, where a pair of swords used to hang.

            "It's the only place I could get these," he replied, as if it was obvious.

            Xavier hung his head in his hands. It had finally happened- prolonged exposure to GI Joe had driven Logan insane!


	4. Visitations

**Chapter Four: Visitations**

**No characters belong to me. The X-Men and associated characters belong to Marvel. GI Joe and related characters belong to Hasbro. Althea Delgado (as she exists in this fic), Xi, ****Brittany****, Daria, and Quinn Delgado, and Claudius Delgado belong to Red Witch. Only Watson the butler is mine (as far as I know).**

            The Braddocks left after dinner. Fortunately, their sons often fought each other in inappropriate places, so Elisabeth duelling with Logan wasn't too odd. Not that that prevented the Professor for ripping Logan a new one. Ororo was driving the Braddocks back to their hotel, and Hank was watching the students.

            "How good is she?" Xavier asked Logan, after berating him.

            "Honestly? I give her nearly even odds against Wavedancer."

            Xavier's eyebrows raised.

            "Althea has been trained ever since she was very young. Elisabeth hasn't."

            "I know." Logan hesitated for a moment, and then pressed on. "She's _too good, Charles. I can buy her being that good with a sword, since her parents have had her fencing for a long time. But a fighter? No way. Something's been done to her. And I think I know who did it."_

            "Emma Frost," Xavier scowled. He had new respect for her- somehow, she managed to psychically teach Elisabeth the martial arts in such a way that he couldn't detect it.

            "What's she got to do with this?" Logan asked, surprised.

            Xavier related the incident in England, and then what he learned about Ms. Frost.

            "So this 'Hellfire Club' has a branch in England and in America, huh?"

            "Actually, they're two offshoots of one club. They're more or less independent of each other, but they maintain close ties. Emma's a member of the American Inner Circle. According to Sir Braddock, the members of our Inner Circle act independently of each other."

            "So we don't have to worry about any other rich people coming for us?"

            "Hopefully not."

            "Good. But I wasn't talking about her, Charles." He leaned in closer. "You know I travel."

"Yes."

"I've got a lot of names in a lot of places. From Hong Kong down into Southeast Asia, they call me Patch. I've gotten into a lot of scrapes with a lot of nasty customers, but the worst are a group of ninja mercenaries and assassins called the Hand."

"I've never heard of them."

"I ain't surprised. They don't advertise."

"What do they have to do with Elisabeth?"

"When we were sparring, she used a lot of moves that only members of the Hand use."

"Well, perhaps one of her instructors learned the manoeuvres."

"No, Charles," Logan said firmly. He had to make him understand. "Nobody but a member of the Hand teaches anyone their fighting style. The penalty for teaching something you pick up is death- your death, your student's death, and the death of both families. The only reason I know them is because I've survived them. The Hand has no use for anyone western. They're fanatical about it. It's part of the reason why they hate me so much."

"So it's impossible that Elisabeth could have learned these techniques from anyone that isn't a ninja for the Hand?"

"Oh, yeah."

They were silent for a while.

"Mutant millionaires," Xavier muttered. "A clan of ninjas. What's the connection?"

"Beats me."

"And you're sure about this?"

"Yeah, but I called for somebody to verify."

"You did? Who-"

"COME BACK HERE PIETRO!" Jean could be heard screaming.

Xavier looked at Logan.

"I asked for the Blind Master, Charles," he groaned. "Not for the rest of them."

***

            "So you're an X-Geek, huh?" Althea asked Elisabeth.

            "I wouldn't call myself a geek, but yeah," Elisabeth nodded.

            The two young women recognized each other immediately. While the rest of the Misfits got into fights with the X-Men, Wavedancer and Psylocke chose to catch up.

            "How'd your parents take finding out?"

            "They told me they love me, and it doesn't matter what I am."

            Althea grinned.

            "Told ya. Doesn't it feel better with them knowing?"

            "It does," Elisabeth admitted.

            "Two for two!" Althea smiled.

            "Yes, you are," Elisabeth grinned. "So, all of these fine looking men… are you dating any of them?"

            Althea smiled. "Yeah, him." She pointed at Todd, who was being chased by Roberto and Ray.

            Elisabeth blinked.

            "The Toad?"

            "Something wrong with my sexy Toddles?" Althea asked, offended.

            "Not at all," Elisabeth replied quickly. "So what do you like about him?"

            "He's been through a lot, so he's tough. He's also kind, and sweet, and" her dreamy smile turned wicked, "you should see him naked!"

            "Is he…" Elisabeth made a hand gesture.

            "Oh yeah," Althea grinned. "Very."

            "He's like Edwin, then."

            "Edwin? Who's-" Althea gaped as she remembered who Edwin was. "How did _you ever see Lifeline naked?_

            "It's a long story," Elisabeth grinned. "I'll tell you later. Have you and Todd shagged yet?"

            "No, not yet. Dad wants us to wait until we're seventeen and it's legal."

            "So what?"

            "You try keeping something like that from these nutcases!" She looked at Hank and Cover Girl trying to break Tabitha and Wanda apart. "I'd rather take on Jinx, Wolverine, Storm Shadow, and the Blind Master all at the same time. The odds of pulling it off are higher!"

            "I see your point," Elisabeth conceded. "My new comrades are hardly paragons of sanity themselves."

            "You got that right. So… what do you think of them?"

            "What- all of them?"

            "Scott and Jean, for starters."

            "Ah… them. Well, they're both lovely people, but as far as I can tell, Scott has something packed deeply up his arse."

            They looked over to where Scott was wrestling with Xi.

            "Testify, blondie!" Polly squawked as he flew by with Lockheed. Of course, neither was flying in a straight line.

            "Are they tight?" Elisabeth asked.

            "Very," Althea nodded. "They're drinking buddies. And what do you think of Jean?"

            "Jean thinks she's on display all the time, doesn't she? She seems to want everyone to think she's perfect!"

            They looked over to where Jean was trying to retrieve her diary from a laughing Pietro.

            "You've only been here a few hours, and you already know all that about them, huh? You're a good judge of character."

            "Thank you." She pointed at Pietro- or tried to, when he stood still. "What's he like?"

            "Pietro? He's our team egomaniac. He's loyal, and he loves his sister, and he's our friend, but he's devious, sneaky, and let's put it this way- he makes Jean look humble."

            "You forgot to mention sexy as all sin," Elisabeth sighed. Althea froze- uh oh.

            "Look at that hair. I've never seen hair naturally like that," Elisabeth smiled. "And that face- devilishly handsome, that."

            "Well, he has been compared to Satan," Althea muttered, remembering a number of practical jokes he played recently.

            "That body! Lean, sleek, defined… and that bum. Good God, that bum is to die for!"

            "O-kay," Althea said slowly, backing away from Elisabeth. "Please don't tell him any of that. He's hard enough to live with as is." And one cross-team romance is bad enough, thank you very much! Oh well- at least Elisabeth wasn't after her studly Toddles!

            "Ahh!" Jamie's cries for help grabbed their attention. Three Jamies ran past where they were sitting, followed by Brittany, Daria, and Quinn.

            "Shouldn't you stop them?" Elisabeth asked, concerned.

            "Nah- it's best to just let them get it out of their systems."

            "If you say so. And what about them?" Elisabeth pointed to where Lance and Peter were wrestling.

            "That'll go on until Kitty makes up her mind," Althea groaned. "Or until the end of time, which is about the same thing."

            "So that's what the Professor meant when he said that one of the X-Men has a special relationship with one of the Misfits, I take it. Why didn't he just say there was a love triangle?"

            "Who understands how Baldy thinks?"

            "So is this-" Elisabeth indicated the chaos- "going to happen every time our teams meet?"

            "No."

            "Oh, good."

            "It's usually much more destructive."

            "Oh, God."

***

            "You're sure about this?" the Blind Master asked Logan. They, along with Storm Shadow, Snake Eyes, Jinx, Spirit, and the Professor, were in Xavier's study.

            "I called a time out to set this up," Logan said as he put a disc into the monitor. "What do you think?"

            The tape showed Elisabeth and Logan sparring. The bouts were short, due to Logan's superior skill. After three bouts, Logan paused the recording.

            "Well?"

            The Blind Master nodded. "You're right. That is how a member of the Hand fights. She is not fully trained, though. Not yet." Snake Eyes nodded his agreement.

            "You two have fought them before?" Xavier asked.

            "Yes," he nodded. "Before our involvement with GI Joe." he explained. 

"The Arashikage Clan and the Hand are old enemies," Jinx added.

            "I've never fought them myself," Storm Shadow frowned. "But what I've heard about them…"

            "They hate the West," the Blind Master agreed. "How would an English girl know their secrets?"

            "I have a theory about that," the Professor began, and outlined what he learned about Emma Frost.

            "She must have a connection to the Hand," Spirit reasoned. "And it must be an important one for the Hand to abandon their hatred to allow this."

            "I agree," Xavier said. "But I cannot find any tampering in Elisabeth's mind, or anything that indicates any… downloading. Elisabeth doesn't know anything about this- I'm sure of that. I don't dare probe further- her sensitivity makes it difficult to probe, and until I can fully compensate for it, I don't dare try anything invasive. The results could be disastrous."

            "So we'll have to capture the White Queen if we are to have the truth," Jinx said grimly.

            "We?" Xavier asked.

            "The Hand are old enemies of ours," the Blind Master reminded him. "We do have some personal interest in their movements. Such a radical departure from their usual methods demands investigating."

            "We could use all the help we could get, Charles," Logan pointed out. "The kids aren't ready for the Hand. Trust me on this."

            "Very well," Xavier agreed. "I can't allow one of my students to remain under someone's control, and if there is a plot to turn mutants into assassins through mind control, we can't let it slide. What do you suggest?"

            "Divide our forces. You try to find Frost. Me- I've got contacts in Southeast Asia. They'll help find the Hand."

            "Like who?" Jinx asked.

            Logan smiled. "One of 'em's a lady in Hong Kong named Rosie. She's got her ear to the ground. And if that fails, I got a… friend in Madripoor that owes me a few favours."

            The Blind Master looked right at Logan.

            "You're talking about Tyger Tiger." It wasn't a question.

            Logan looked surprised, but gave a small laugh.

            "Yeah, I am. And you've figured it out."

            "I've had my suspicions for some time, but this confirmed them. No other would have such knowledge of the Hand. You certainly get around, Master Patch."

            Storm Shadow's eyes briefly widened in surprise. No one knew what Snake Eyes did under his mask, but he did look at Logan. Jinx just smiled at her boyfriend.

            "You knew, didn't you?" the Blind Master asked her.

            "Naturally. I'm his girlfriend." She exchanged a slightly sappy look with Logan.

            "He is a legend," Storm Shadow explained to Spirit and Xavier. "He was the bane of the underworld for a time, before he hooked up with Tyger Tiger."

            "It was a long time ago," Logan shrugged.

            "Who's Tyger Tiger?" Xavier asked.

            "She a crime boss in Madripoor," Spirit explained. "She's got a bit of a conscience- she doesn't traffic in slaves or heavy drugs, but everything else is fair game. We've had a few run-ins with her."

            "You've met?" Logan asked, surprised. "I've been back to Madripoor, and I haven't heard anything about her and American troops."

            "It was a secret operation," Spirit shrugged. "She was supplying COBRA with weaponry, until she realized who she was dealing with. She backed out, they went after her, and we stepped in, even though it turned out that we didn't have to. Yes, we know her." He shot the briefest glance at Storm Shadow. "Some of us more than others."

            Logan caught the glance, and grinned.

            "Oh really?"

            "Yes," Storm Shadow said neutrally, but the area around his eyes turned slightly red.

            "Well how's about you and I say hi to her, if Rosie can't find anything."

            "That would be… acceptable," Storm Shadow muttered.

            Jinx looked from her cousin to Logan.

            "I'm going too," she stated firmly.

            Logan looked faintly guilty. Storm Shadow's mouth quirked upwards.

            "Logan?" Xavier asked. "How exactly did you get involved with this woman?"

            "She needed a bodyguard. Her organization was being threatened by mooks with even less of a conscience than she has. If they got control of her set-up, it would have been bad for the area. Very bad. I helped the lesser of two evils. That's all."

            "So when do we begin?" Spirit asked.

            "No time like the present," Logan grunted.

            "I agree."

            "We need to let Hawk know about the situation," the Blind Master said. "We can get the three of you to Hong Kong tomorrow."

            "And we can begin looking for Emma Frost," Spirit added. Snake Eyes nodded.

            "I can help with that," the Professor agreed. "Cerebro has recently been modified to watch for specific mutant signatures."

            "Good," the Blind Master said.

            "Do we tell the kids about this?" Jinx asked.

            "No," Xavier said. "They would act oddly around Elisabeth, and for all we know, that might tip our enemies off."

            "Can't you keep people from spying?" the Blind Master asked.

            "I think so, but I can't find any evidence of tampering in Elisabeth's mind. If I missed that, then… it's possible I could be missing other things," he said quietly, in a tone that said 'I really don't want to admit this.' "If we're right about what's going on, then we don't dare do anything that might reveal our- pardon the expression- hand."

            "So we're agreed then?" the Blind Master asked. Everybody nodded. "Good. With the exception of General Hawk, nobody else should know about this until we've got something conclusive."

***

            "This is, to put it mildly, not good, Emma," Sebastian Shaw, the Black King, growled. The Inner Circle had assembled to hear the news about Elisabeth Braddock. "Not good at all!"

            "I know," she agreed, still furious about Xavier's coup of Elisabeth Braddock.

            "We shouldn't have agreed to put the assassin's mind in the girl at all," Harry Leland, the Black Bishop, said.

            "It's not like we had much choice," Donald Pierce, the White King, pointed out. "We couldn't allow ourselves to remain in the debt of those assassins, now could we?"

            "If the assassin's body is ever repaired, how will we extract her from the Xavier Institute?" Shaw went on, ignoring the others. "I've cultivated trust by donating to them, but they'll know by now that I'm in the Inner Circle with you! Hopefully, they won't know how closely we all work together, but even so-"

            "Even so, we can cross that bridge if we come to it," Emma said smoothly. "Xavier will not know about Elisabeth's little cocoon- I buried it too deeply in her mind for him to find easily, even if he was inclined to perform an invasive probe, and given the girl's psychic sensitivity, he isn't. Getting Elisabeth and Kwannon's body together will be easy enough to do, and the extraction will be very quick." Emma was grateful that none of her peers knew the full extent of what she was doing. "And then you can have your precious little British Black Queen."

            "Jealous, Emma?" Leland laughed. It was widely- and incorrectly- rumoured that Emma and Sebastian were lovers. Their relationship, while it had- for a time- been sexual in the past, was forged out of great ambition and mutual thirst for power. Sexual pleasures, while exquisite, were secondary to the pleasure of power. Power required a clear head, and that meant avoiding mixing business with pleasure.

            "And while we're on that subject," Emma pressed on, "I must ask you again- of all the members of the British Hellfire Club- why her?"

            "There are many reasons," Shaw smiled. "She is a mutant, and a powerful one. She is a hereditary member of the British Hellfire Club, and once she is ours, she will be one of the few people ever to claim membership in both branches. Her parents are the Red Bishop and the Black Knight of the British Inner Circle. She will be eminently suited to lead our little takeover, once we get her some extra support."

            "Still on about that, are you?" Pierce asked, surprised. It was common knowledge in the Inner Circle that Shaw wanted to unify the two branches of the Hellfire Club- under his leadership, of course.

            "I've never gotten off of it, Donald," he replied evenly. "Filling out the remainder of our Circle with members of the British club is the best way to do it- or have we all forgotten that we need all the help- all the resources- that we can get? We all know what our 'dearly departed' predecessors duped us into funding." Only Pierce wasn't disturbed by the Sentinels, but he lacked the cause. He was a cyborg, not a mutant.

            "And since that is the case, we need to watch the X-Men," Shaw continued. "You know, I believe it is time that I take a closer look at the Institute. I am helping to fund it, after all."

            "And of course, you'll want to talk to the students, to get an idea of how the school could be improved," Leland grinned. "After all, you should get something in return for your support."

            "Exactly. And of course, to ensure an unbiased report, I shall have to interview the students somewhere both public and private, away from the teachers but near witnesses, just in case- say, at a restaurant in Bayville?"

            "And if the time comes to interview Elisabeth Braddock," Pierce said innocently, "why- your car will break down, and so there will be a reasonable delay while… everything gets put the way it ought to be."

            "Precisely," Shaw said neutrally. Emma smiled- not bad for a spur of the moment plan, no, not bad at all.

            "So we are all agreed?" Shaw asked. When his co-conspirators nodded, he smiled.

            Emma smiled too. Despite the setback, her plan was proceeding smoothly. She had already alerted Matsu'o as to the… change in plan, and he was no doubt feeding his superiors a line even as the Inner Circle was getting down to its next business: listening to the current report of its spy in Magneto's Acolytes, who was also a probationary member of the Inner Circle: Jason Wyngarde, also known as Mastermind.

***

            The adults in the study emerged to view the chaos.

            Shipwreck was trying to serenade Ororo, who had returned from taking the Braddocks back to their hotel. She was 30 seconds from zapping him. No- make that 29.

            Almost all of the teenagers were in a melee…

            With the exception of Althea, Elisabeth, Kurt, and Todd, who were watching the fight, commenting on it, and even making bets on the outcome…

            And Fred and Remy, who were arguing about food and cooking- again.

            The remaining adults, exhausted by their efforts to stop the violence, were simply watching as well.

            Trinity had finally caught up to Jamie, had him tied down, and were tickling him.

            And through the din, Polly's voice could be heard, singing drinking songs. Lockheed, still buzzed from the Pixie Sticks and Logan's secret stash, was accompanying him with belches of flame.

            Snake Eyes signed something. Spirit, Jinx, and Storm Shadow chuckled.

            "What did he say?" Xavier asked.

            "He said 'Some things never change, do they?'" Logan smirked.

            The fracas went on for awhile, until Fred and Remy's discussion got a little too violent. They brought out different (but very heavy) cookbooks and began to hit each other with them. They got a little to close to the general melee, and somehow the cookbooks flew out of their hands and hit Althea and Elisabeth.

            "Oh merde," Remy groaned.

            "Mommy," Fred squeaked.

            "This is going to hurt, no?" Remy asked.

            "Oh yeah," Althea snarled as she charged them.

            "In places you don't even know you bloody well have," Elisabeth added as she joined the charge.

***

_            Inside her prison, Kwannon decided to let Elisabeth handle this without any assistance. The brief merging of their essences brought out some of the girl's hidden training. Unfortunately, it also brought the Blind Master and the Young Master of the Clan Arashikage. They had to suspect the truth, now, and even though her prison was cracked, it still held. But not for long, Kwannon swore. Soon, she would find a way to break free and put herself back in her own body!_

***

            The two girls began to beat on the boys, and soon, the four of them joined the melee.

            "It looks like Liz is going to fit in just fine," Kurt remarked.

            "And she's definitely Bree's cousin," Todd added as he watched her go after Fred.

            "How do you know?"

            Elisabeth aimed a kick at Fred's stomach. Someone knocked into her from behind, so her kick missed Fred completely and hit the nearby Scott right in the-

            "That's Bree's favourite defensive move, yo," Todd moaned as he and Kurt (and all the other men) winced.

A/N: Well, I'm done. I hope you liked it! I'm following a very tough act: Red Witch, the originator of the Misfits (bows in worship).

Re. the Evolved Braddocks: How are they? Are they real? Do any of them seem Mary-Sue like? Comments and criticisms are welcome, but no flames, please.

What exactly is the deal with Kwannon? What are Elisabeth's nightmares like? How did the elder Braddocks know of their daughter's mutation? Who is the other telepath with the super-sensitive mind? Why doesn't Xavier want to talk about him or her? Will the Hellfire Club get their hooks deeper into the Institute? How did Elisabeth see Lifeline naked? When will Sgt. Snuffles show up? Is the author going to Evolve anyone else? Is the author completely insane?

The answers to some of these questions are coming up in my next fic, as yet untitled, which will feature the return of some old characters, and my take on a classic X-Men storyline. Which one is it? Well, tune in and find out!


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